Desire to help unites congressional supporters, critics of health care law

Dec. 14, 2013

John Thune

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Tim Johnson

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South Dakota’s representatives in Congress are divided on the Affordable Care Act, with Republicans Kristi Noem and John Thune fierce critics and Democrat Tim Johnson a stout defender of the controversial health care reform law.

But all of them agree that whatever their stance, it’s their duty to help citizens navigate the law and find health insurance.

“We’ve literally had hundreds and hundreds of people contact our office about increasing health care premiums, increased deductibles, situations where they’re having difficulty signing up,” Noem said Thursday night, in a telephone town hall meeting with hundreds of South Dakota voters.

“I obviously was never in support of the legislation; it passed before I was in Congress. But I certainly take it very seriously that it’s my job to make sure we help as many people as we can weave through the process and protect them, as much as we can, from the detrimental effects of the law.”

Noem spoke in response to a self-employed Sioux Falls resident who had medical issues from being struck by a car.

“I feel kind of caught in this quagmire on Obamacare,” the caller told Noem. “I’m still wondering what I should do.”

In her response, Noem called the Sioux Falls man’s situation “unfortunate” and said she would try to help.

“We can maybe have somebody within my office try to find you health care coverage and get you through the process of signing up online and finding a policy that can work for you,” Noem said. “Most people don’t realize that that’s something that our staff does, to try to be an advocate for people that are struggling with government programs or agencies, and kind of walk you through that process.”

Thune and Johnson took similar positions.

“Sen. Thune has a number of caseworkers in his state offices that are there to help address issues constituents experience with federal agencies,” said Rachel Millard, Thune’s press secretary, in a statement. “Constituents who are experiencing problems with healthcare.gov should feel free to reach out to one of the senator’s state offices.”

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Johnson, in a statement, said “health reform is about helping people.

“As the enrollment period moves forward, my office continues to work diligently to answer people’s questions and help direct folks who may need further assistance to the appropriate resources, whether that is the local Navigators, the national call center or other available resources,” he said.

All three offices long have helped South Dakotans facing difficulty with federal agencies and laws, a process referred to as constituent service.

The service goes only so far. South Dakotans seeking help with the Affordable Care Act can’t have congressional staff fill out their health insurance applications or provide hands-on assistance. That’s because of the sensitive personal information involved in applications.

Instead, the three offices direct South Dakotans to the healthcare.gov website, or to insurance brokers or “navigators” who are specially trained to help people sign up.

All Americans are required to have health insurance next year or pay a fine, which is relatively small in 2014 but grows in future years. People without coverage from their employer or the government can visit healthcare.gov to browse a marketplace of health plans, and possibly qualify for subsidies to offset the cost of the insurance.